


Where Did You Sleep Last Night?

by mcgoofys



Category: Rizzoli & Isles
Genre: F/F, First time posting here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-09
Updated: 2012-12-09
Packaged: 2017-11-20 16:09:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/587240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgoofys/pseuds/mcgoofys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jane and Maura meet in a very...unusual way. AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Where Did You Sleep Last Night?

**Author's Note:**

> Please excuse and grammar or punctual errors. I haven't had enough time to proof read this and when I did, it was three in the morning and I was getting home from work. All mistakes are my own. If reading this means you'll have to hold a dictionary next to you I'm sorry. I've decided to try going back to my old writing habits.

“Right uppercut!” Frost's voice was almost inaudible. His instructions were trenchant but somehow the words disordered inside of her mind and she swung left. “Right, damn it!”  
“Right! Left! I really don't fucking think it matters, Frost.” She dropped her arms. “And I'm not giving up defense!” She hurried out before he could say anything. He closed his mouth. “I'm just...taking a water break.” She used her teeth to loosen her gloves, doting in the sound of the Velcro splitting.  
“You gotta learn to swing right, Jane.” Frost handed her a purple water bottle, accompanied by a black towel. “Samis knows you're left handed. She knows exactly which punches to look for and which ones to avoid.”  
“You're asking me to suddenly become right handed, Frost.”  
“You can go back as soon as we win!”  
“Who the fuck said precinct boxing was a good idea?” She mumbled as she sat down as far as possible away from Frost. Unreasonably, he was a quiet and polite little man. She usually loved him. But, put the man in the in-between of a competition and he was worse than male gymnastic trainer.  
“So, uh,” he sat down next to her despite the roll of chocolate brown eyes that were almost ineluctable. “how was your date with...”  
“Lisa.” Jane coated.  
“Right, Lisa. How was your date with Lisa?”  
“Same as always,” she shrugged. She drafted down the remnants of water in the bottle while her partner stared at her with longing eyes. “Got a problem?”  
“Look,” he sighed. “Anna hasn't put out since Kristen was born. If there's any chance of living vicariously through you, please please please indulge.”  
She sighed. “We didn't sleep together.”  
“By that, you mean there wasn't any sleeping going on?” he asked, hopefully.  
She was almost creeped out, but the more she stared at his optimistic eyes the more she saw the real reason he wanted to hear about it. He wanted to see her happy. He cared. She was thirty-five and she still hadn't found the “one” nor did she in reality believe she would. Truth be told, the only reason she'd ever still dated was for the sake of her family and friends. She utilized the sex with these women, frankly that was been the best part. But, she was growing tired of going on these dates with women her mother or brothers or even Frost at times thought would be great for her. Most of the women had groveling personalities, which meant everyone thought Jane was controlling and that thought bothered her somewhere deep down in the back of her mind.  
“I mean, we had went to some ballet thing, dinner, then I took her home.” Jane elucidated.  
Frost lowered. “Okay, but when will you call her back?”  
“I'm not going to.” She scrolled through the missed alerts on her cell phone. Mostly her mother. She rolled her eyes.  
“Why not?”  
“I...I don't see-wait, why the hell does my personal life matter anything to you?” She dared.  
“It...” he unscrewed the top to his water bottle. “It doesn't. I just...I just...I wanted to know. For your Ma...she asked me...”  
“My Ma is fully capable of asking herself, and she does.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “What's this about, Frost?” her tone dampened.  
“I just don't like seeing you alone, alright?”  
She smiled at her partner. “I'm not alone.” It was actually kind of sweet.  
“But you are,” he looked at her with solicitous eyes that made her squinch. “your Ma has your dad. Frankie has Amy – even though they're not serious and we all know it. I have Anna. And you...you have-”  
“I have my job.” She reasoned.  
“You're thirty-five years old, Jane. What happens in twenty years from now when you retire and you still don't have someone to go home to?”  
She thought for a moment. It never had really daunted her. She knew she couldn't very well sleep around for the rest of her life, but she never anticipated to just settle with anyone. Who would that be fair to? It'd almost be a lie. No, it would be a lie. Her kids – if she ever decided to have any – would be a lie. Her marriage. Her happiness. It would all be a lie.  
“Let me worry about that.” Jane topped her empty bottle back up. “I mean, really, it's my life anyway, right? I can't just go and marry someone because it makes you uncomfortable to think that when I'm old and wrinkly I won't have someone just as old and wrinkly to go home to.” She stood and gestured to the beaten punching bag. “Shall we continue?”  
He narrowed his eyes at her for a moment. “Fine.”  
“Fine.” She simpered.  
“Right. Uppercut.” He prompted her as he held the bag.  
“Got it, dad.” She swung left. He glared at her but held the bag steady.  
Jane skilled her right punches. She even tried the three main body parts. Face, chest, and abdomen. Frost had her perennially swinging her right arm until she felt a burn from end-to-end. She could feel her knuckles bleeding.  
“You're swinging to wide. Samis is going to get the drop on you because you're giving too much reaction time.”  
She dropped her arms again, entirely thwarted at this point. “Frost, I'm left handed! If my right punches suck, it's most likely because I'm not even right handed!”  
“A fighter-”  
“I'm not a fucking fighter!”She ripped her gloves off. “I'm a fucking cop. My job isn't to punch with my right fist. It's to protect. And if it comes down to it, fight as best as I fucking can.”  
“Jane-”  
“No!” She pointed to him. “We're done for today.”  
“Jane, if you'd just-”  
She cut him off with a blaze. He rapidly whiled his mouth shut.  
“Okay,” he nodded. “I won't say anything more. We'll just pick up where we left off tomorrow.”  
“God, after this round, I'm totally asking Korsak to coach me.”  
“That's if you actually win this found.” He mumbled.  
Jane heard him. She decided she was going to let him live for the benefit of his wife and six month old daughter. Yes. His daughter needed her father. And for that, she pretended she didn't hear him.  
She stuffed her dufflebag with her gloves and empty water bottles when a throat was cleared quietly, and two very toned legs came into her line of view. Jane's eyes slowly glided over the absolutely unfaltering legs before they caught a pair of hazel eyes.  
“Are you done with this?” the woman was short. Her hair honey-blonde was bouncy and her skin creamy. She was petite and if Jane was honest, almost perfectly formed. She could feel her pulse in her veins, making it almost impossible to say a word. The woman paused for an answer nearly patiently, tilting her head slightly to the right peculiarly at Jane. She was beautiful. Breathtakingly beautiful and it almost sent Jane into hyperventilation. Her mouth watered almost instantaneously. Her throat was binding. Her skin clammy. She could feel her hands trembling. She'd never had a reaction to the mere sight of a woman before. Sure, she'd emphatically seen some beautiful women in her day but this woman was identifiably different. It was almost as if...as if she were the only woman in the room. Hell, it was almost as if she were the only other person in the room and well aware of it.  
“Yeah, we're done with it.” Frost swung his bag over his shoulder, inattentive to Jane's glaciated response.  
“Fantastic.” The woman smiled.  
“You're the new Chief Medical Examiner, right?” He smiled brilliantly at her. “Frost. Barry Frost.” He extended his hand to her.  
The woman's gaze tore from Jane as she shook hands with the dark man. How she was completely revolted by his atrocious stench was beyond Jane and probably made her respect this Chief Medical Examiner more.  
“We'll be seeing a lot of each other, actually.” Frost continued, still oblivious to his friend. “Rizzoli here,” he gestured to his partner. “and I work in Homicide.”  
The Medical Examiner smiled at him. “It's a pleasure to meet you.”  
Jane bit her lip as she watched Maura approach the punching bag. The thing was almost taller than her. And probably a lot heavier. But Maura's posture was strong, as if she'd been used to taking down things that size.  
“Here,” Jane held the bag, discarding all of her things. “I should help you with this. This will probably having you flying across the room if it comes back too fast.” It was supposed to be a joke...or some sort of excuse to help. To get a chance to stare more without just standing there and watching her box.  
But, the Medical Examiner looked rather offended. “Are you under the notion I'm not capable of defending myself against an inanimate object, Detective?”  
Jane's eyes widened. She looked to Frost for help as she engulfed hard. He only gave her a “hell if I know” shrug but the look on his face looked perilously close enough to amused.  
“N-no, but...I mean...you are pretty small-”  
“Detective, I am far more than my looks.” She smirked, abruptly. “I could even take you.”  
“Me?” Jane pointed to herself. She laughed. “I-I don't think so, Doc.”  
“And why not?”  
“Because compared to you, I'm a giant.”  
“Height is rather digressive when it comes to a fight.” The honey-blonde licked her lips. “Put on your gloves, Detective.”  
“What, why?”  
“Sometimes with you meaty Detectives, it's better I show you rather explain it.” Something in her tone told Jane not to question it, but she decided she was going to anyway.  
“I'm not gonna fight you,”  
“We're not fighting because we're angry, we're fighting to see whom is better.” The Medical Examiner shrugged. “Isn't that what you're doing with Detective Samis on Sunday?”  
“How-”  
“Detective, it's all over the precinct.”  
Jane studied the woman. From the very tip of her head to the very bottom of her feet. This woman evidently had a work out ritual she retained daily. She had muscles where they mattered. She didn't have a six pack, but she unquestionably had arms that Jane wouldn't have anticipated to see other a scrub top across the autopsy table. Her legs were toned – as Jane had detected before. Her calves looked like the calves of a runner. As her eyes gazed over them, she watched as the woman shifted her weight, causing those very calves to flex.  
Jane's mouth couldn't decide between watering or going dry. Her heart couldn't decide between skipping a beat or two, or accelerating all together. She licked her lips.  
“You're beautiful.” She uttered. Her own eyes increased at the praise, while the woman across from her only smiled. “I mean,” she rubbed her palms. “I wouldn't want to mess up that pretty face.”  
“I can promise, you won't even get near my pretty face.”  
Normally an overly assured woman didn't do much for Jane but this woman? Her confidence was probably the sexiest thing about her so far.  
“Come on, Jane.” Frost said from the camouflaged side lines. “What are you afraid of? Losing?”  
“I won't lose.”  
“Prove it, Detective.” The Medical Examiner smirked. “Put your gloves on.”  
Jane swallowed hard as she walked to her dufflebag. She slipped the gloves on, quietly. How could she do it? She barely knew the woman but the thought of hitting her? It made Jane queasy. It was almost as if someone had made her swallow a thousand needles that would stand passant in her stomach the moment she even thought about hitting this woman. If it had been anyone, even Frost, she would have actually considered fighting them.  
“What are the rules?” Jane turned back around, her gloves on. She was anxious but she hid it well. Her face was dark and solemn.  
The honey-blonde looked in thought for a moment before deciding. “There are none.” She smiled, displaying her perfectly aligned teeth.  
God is there anything not perfect about this woman? Jane sighed. She was definitely in for it now.  
“And you're sure about this?” she asked, getting into her correct stance. Her left shoulder and leg becoming her front shoulder and leg. “you don't have to prove anything to me.”  
“I believe I do.” The Medical Examiner did the same, only her right shoulder and leg were her front shoulder and leg. “People like you will always believe it's easy to overpower me because of my height and weight. It's actually one of the reasons I began self defense.”  
“People like me?” Jane wasn't sure if she should be displeased or not.  
“People like you.” And that was all she was going to say on the matter.  
The brunette looked to Frost, who had a smile on his face that seemed like it would be there for days. She rolled her eyes.  
“Ready?” he stood between the two women. Both women nodded. He moved a little over to the side. “Begin.”  
They circled one another. Their feet moving in a dance others might not interpret. Jane tried to watch the other woman's feet, hoping to learn her choreography. She watched the one-two quick shuffle of the woman's feet and she was sure that this Medical Examiner was mocking her.  
“What's the matter, Detective?” the honey-blonde's voice was cloying and yet mocking. It was bittersweet. Like eating chocolate with celery. She couldn't decide if she enjoyed it or hated it. “Afraid to hit a woman?”  
“I am a woman.” Jane declared.  
“But you're afraid of hurting me.” The honey-blonde jabbed right but Jane dodged it. “You think of me as a victim and not a threat, Detective. But I could so easily harm you just as any other man-”  
“-or woman,” the brunette injected  
The Medical Examiner smiled sweetly. “Or woman.” She phonied a left jab, the one Jane had been expecting from observation on her feet. The brunette moved out of the way and right into the honey-blonde's right fist. It connected with her nose.  
“Fuck!” She stopped for a moment as she touched her nose. She stood straight, completely abandoning her battle stance. “You actually fucking hit me.” Her nose was bleeding but she was sure it wasn't broken. She'd felt a broken nose before and this wasn't it.  
“Why are you surprised?”  
“I just thought you know, you go for my shoulders or some weak ass shit like that.” Jane looked at her. “You actually fucking punched me.”  
The Medical Examiner smirked. “I told you, Detective. I'm capable of everything you're capable of. Despite my height and weight.”  
The Detective huffed. “We'll see about that.” She placed herself back into her battle stance, this time more sober than before. Her defenses were up higher, knowing where this woman liked to hit most now.  
“Shall we call this the second round?”  
“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.” She rolled her eyes. “Ding ding, round two.” She unenthusiastic but something about this almost seemed bantering. Of course, she wouldn't dare say that aloud or now but something about it made her want to smile. She was getting her ass handed to her by someone she'd thought as passive. By the damn Medical Examiner. That was definitely a new for her.  
“You can study my movements all you'd like, Detective.”  
“I'm gonna need you to stop calling me that.” Jane sighed. “I'm more than that.”  
The honey-blonde thought about that for a moment. “What else is there?” she asked, actually sounding attested and well...like a human for the first time.  
“Well my name is Jane.” The brunette started. “Jane Rizzoli.”  
“Jane Rizzoli.” She tested the name on her tongue. Jane liked the way it sounded coming from her. As if her name had finally had a purpose. As if it finally had a reason to be said. As if everyone else had been pronouncing it wrong for years and finally someone had gotten how to say it. How to call for her. She grunted at that thought. No time to have these feelings about the woman who almost broke her nose.  
“I'm Maura.” The Medical Examiner smiled. She almost extended her arm but decided against it. “Maura Isles.”  
“See, now we know each other.”  
“You hardly know much about me.”  
“I know you're an experienced fighter.” Jane pointed out. “And you're the Chief Medical Examiner.”  
“Ah, so going off that logic you believe you know me?”  
“If I say yes will it earn me another lesson?” The brunette asked, indecisively. “I mean I do have a fight on Sunday. I can't afford to go in the ring with my ass already kicked.”  
Maura laughed. And it was the most heavenly sound on Earth. Jane had a new favorite sound and she was damn sure going to hear it again. “Don't worry, Jane. I'm actually helping you.”  
Jane raised an eyebrow. “Helping me?” she looked the woman up and down again. “helping me how?”  
“Well,” Maura licked her lips. “Your opponent is a woman.”  
“Wow, thanks. I thought I was fighting a man in an ape suit.”  
The honey-blonde rolled her eyes but decided to disregard the comment. “Your opponent has my height and build. She's right handed, and very experienced in fighting.”  
“How do you know that?”  
“I worked with her in West Roxbury.” Maura jabbed right again, but this one Jane had been expecting. Instead of punching back, the brunette simply just blocked the punch and pushed Maura back. “I've seen her fight a handful of times.”  
That was a thought Jane didn't want to dote too much on. “So you're trying to help me out?”  
“You seem to have difficulty with your right punches.”  
“My right punches are fine.”  
“Detective, you haven't managed to strike me once.”  
“Did you ever think maybe I just don't want to?”  
Maura chuckled. It was a concoction of dark and delightful. The time for conversation was over, and Jane could tell that just by looking at the honey-blonde. Things had all of a sudden gotten grave. Maura's left arm swung in for a cross punch. Jane blocked it. She tried again with her left while the brunette was busy pushing her left away. Her fist connected with the side of Jane's face. She could slowly see the brunette's wrath ascending. A deep crimson red took over her face, and Maura knew it wasn't from her punch.  
Jane went it for a side kick, debarring punches all together. Maura caught her left leg and held it there. She marveled how far Jane would take things. She had stated there were no rules. She suddenly wondered if Jane do a spin kick to the side of her head. She quickly dropped the brunette's leg, going in for a front kick to the woman's abdomen.  
The Detective caught the creamy leg she'd worshiped before. She smirked. “You can give up at any time you want, Maura.”  
“I don't give up, Jane.”  
“I really don't want to hurt you.” The brunette almost whimpered.  
“Well, good.” Maura drew her leg back. “That shouldn't be a problem here.” She swung around low, knocking the brunette off her feet. She forced her right hand down against Jane's chest to keep her to the mat on the floor. The move was quick, and she'd been exercising it for years. She'd finally perfected it three months ago, but it felt nice to actually put it to use outside of training.  
Jane huffed, blowing a stray hair out of her face as she looked up at the woman above her. A woman that wore a smile so big it almost dissolved her to the floor. She knew she probably looked angry, and actually she should have been but somehow she felt nothing but proud. As if she'd been the one teaching Maura all of these moves. As if she'd known Maura all of her life.  
Jane softened her face. She could still feel Maura's hand against her chest holding her down. “That was good.”  
“Thank you.” The honey-blonde bit her bottom lip. Their faces were a matter of inches apart. The rest of the room had gone neglected. “I hope you watched closely. You'll need it.”  
“Why don't you teach it to me?” she tried, coquettishly.  
“I think you can handle it, Detective.”  
“We're back to that?” She almost missed her name on this stranger's lips.  
“Of course,” Maura licked her lips. Jane watched her tongue, almost wishfully.  
“Are you gonna let me up?” The brunette gestured.  
“I'm thinking about it.” For a moment, Jane wondered if Maura was going to sit on her. In fact, she actually hoped so. She could feel heat pooling between her legs at the thought of Maura straddling her.  
“We can go again, if you'd like.” Maura contented.  
“Oh?” She couldn't focus on really anything but the deep dissatisfaction at the fact that the Medical Examiner still hadn't straddled her. “so you can hand my ass to me again?”  
“I'll go easier on you this time.”  
“Easier?” Jane laughed. “You call before going easy on me?”  
“Yes.” She nodded once. “You could be in a lot more pain right now, Jane. I'd be thankful if I were you.”  
“Wow, thanks for knocking me on my ass.” She rolled her eyes, pungently.  
“You're welcome.” Maura was rather cheerful, herself.  
She narrowed her eyes. “You don't have multiple personalities, do you?”  
Maura thought about this. “No.” She shook her head. “Not that I know of.” She laughed as she grabbed the brunette's hand to help pull her up. Jane groaned as she used every bit of help as she could get. Once she was back on her feet, she could feel her nose burning. Her cheek felt ablaze.  
“Shall we?” Maura gestured to the space around them.  
“Definitely.” Jane accepted.  
Frost cleared his throat. “Actually,” he stepped onto the mat. “we have a body found in Allston.”  
“What?” she looked at him. “why didn't you tell me?”  
“Well, I tried.” He looked to where she'd just been lying on the floor. “But you looked...a little busy.” He chuckled.  
Jane looked to Maura, contritely. “Next time?”  
“Definitely, Detective.” Maura smiled.  
“Then...I'll see you...around.” She said, lamely. Maura nodded then turned to the punching bag. Jane thought about saying more, but really she didn't know what to say. She'd just met this woman. And although she'd felt a strong attractive force to her, she wasn't sure if the feeling was reciprocated. She wasn't sure if Maura detected the way they moved together in a dance only both of them knew the steps to. Did Frost see it? Did anyone else in the gym see it?  
“Let's go, Jane.” Frost patted his partner's back.  
She sighed but grabbed her duffle. “Alright.” She watched as Maura only tossed a smile over her shoulder as they left.

* * *

The crime scene was unmistakable. The four cop cars, news vans, and other vans were every Detective's biggest eye-sore. Jane pulled her cruiser up slowly. They were at a park. Yellow tape guided her straight to the body.  
“Are we going to talk about her?” Frost chuckled by her side as she walked through the grass.  
“Victor 8-2-7.” She showed her badge to the officer manning the tape. “What's there to talk about?” She continued.  
“How about the way you were ogling her.”  
“I was not ogling her.”  
“You were ogling her, Jane. You were ogling her so hard I'm surprised she's not pregnant.”  
She looked at him. “You know it's impossible...like genetically impossible, right?”  
“An hour ago, you would have said a Medical Examiner handing your ass to you was impossible.” He smirked. “I'm starting to believe nothing's impossble.”  
“Well, that is.”  
“The ass-handing or the baby-making?”  
“The baby-making,” she stooped down next to the body. Frost took his cue to go ask witnesses. “What do we have?”

* * *

Jane broached her fingers against her desk, agitatedly. The results for the blood test and unknown fingerprints on the body should have been back by then. Dr. Tanner would have brought them up. He would have gone over them with her. But Dr. Isles? No, Dr. Isles was new so Dr. Isles. didn't know the routine. She waited and waited, hoping someone would prompt her.  
“You're going to give yourself a complex over there.” Frost chewed on a burger they'd stopped to get on the way back to their station. “Just go down there and talk to her.”  
“She's supposed to come up here.”  
“Why?”  
“Because Dr. Tanner-”  
“-he's not here anymore, Jane. She doesn't know jackshit and you already know everyone thinks she's weird so they're afraid to talk to her. They're not going to let her know how things were before. You might as well just go down there.”  
She rolled her eyes at him, although she knew he was right. She knew she was being untenable. She mumbled something that was supposed to go unheard by him as she dragged her feet to the elevator.  
Maura's back was to her. Her hands were deep down into the chest cavity.  
“Hey,” Jane called from the entranceway. Maura didn't even budge. “Doc?” she tried again, taking a few heavy footsteps into the morgue. Still, Maura didn't even turn. Jane walked around the table, into the woman's line of view.  
“Ah, Detective Rizzoli.” She smiled sweetly, as if a few hours ago she didn't have Jane beneath her on the floor. The thought sent a shiver up the brunette's spine. “One moment.” She receded her hands, cautiously. She peeled off her gloves and dropped into them the trashcan next to the sink. She washed her hands then plucked her headphones out of her ear.  
“You got my results back, yet?” Jane shifted her weight.  
Maura raised an eyebrow at her. “Is that any way of asking?”  
“May I please have my blood and fingerprint results? Please?” her voice was dripping sarcasm and she didn't even try to mask it.  
“Yes.” Maura decided that was the best she was probably going to get. She walked across the room to a desk Jane had never seen Dr. Tanner even acknowledge. The files were in plain sight and Jane probably would have been able to obtain them without Maura's knowledge if she'd known they were there. Maura handed her the papers finely, which was a shock to Jane because she didn't think there was any delicacy to Maura at all.  
“I don't know if Dr. Tanner cued you in one the way things work around here or not,” she spun around to the receding Medical Examiner. “but when you get the results back-”  
“It's far more convenient for you if I bring them to you and explain what they mean?” Maura looked over her shoulder as she typed on her laptop. “Yes, he told me.”  
Jane opened then closed her mouth. “Then why? Why'd you have wait three hours?”  
“I'm not Dr. Tanner, Detective.”  
“But...”  
“You are fully capable of walking down to the morgue to retrieve the results yourself, Jane.” The honey-blonde turned around to Jane. “As you've just proven.”  
“But it's better-”  
“It's not better for me.” Maura frowned. “I have a lot of other autopsies to perform. I can send a lab tech up if that's better but I will not be able to walk you through every step of a case.”  
“I'm not asking-”  
“You are.”  
Jane narrowed her eyes in hindrance. “You gonna let finish a sentence sometime?”  
“You're attempting to convince me to abandon my own work to make your job easier, Jane.”  
When she said it like that then sure it did sound narcissistic. “You know what? Forget it. I'll just figure it out. Thanks for the help.”  
“Wait,” Maura caught Jane's arm before she could leave. “I can help you. I plan to help you. I would just like to be asked.”  
Jane looked at her. “You do things differently, don't you?”  
“I do.”  
“I kinda like it.”  
Maura smiled. “I'm glad.”

* * *

The venue was jam-packed. The audience was an assortment of civilians, reporters, people from the Mayor's office, officers from the West Roxbury precinct, officers from the Downtown precinct, family, and friends. Jane looked around the crowd. She'd found her mother in the first row, along with her father and her brother Tommy. Her brother and father discoursed with excitement while her mother only clutched at her father's arm anxiously.  
“She's going to break that thing off.” Jane rolled her eyes.  
Frankie looked to where she was. “You should have been at dinner last night. She kept trying to convince me to fight for you.”  
Jane rolled her eyes. “What does she think? I'm gonna just die?”  
“Maybe she doesn't want you to mess up your face.” He shrugged. “That seems to be the only thing that attracts women to you.”  
Jane's eyes snapped to him. “Oh you got jokes?”  
“Just a small list. I'll finish them at dinner tonight.”  
Jane rolled her eyes at her little brother, but turned her attention back to the crowd.  
“Who are you looking for?” He looked at her.  
“Huh?”  
“Well, usually fighters stay in the back so they can prep but you're out here. You're looking for someone, aren't you?”  
“No.” She snorted.  
“Is it Doctor Isles?”  
“Frost told you?”  
“He only told me about her whooping your ass.” Frankie chuckled. “He definitely tell me about they way you two were eying each other.”  
“We were just talking.” She rolled her eyes.  
“Not how he described it.”  
“So what if I am looking for her?”  
“No, it's nice.” He shrugged. “You finally found someone that interests you.”  
“I think Frost may have exaggerated the details,” she closed the curtain to hide the audience. “I'm not like falling for her or something. I just think she's interesting.”  
“When have you ever thought someone was interesting, Jane?”  
“God, you people make it sound like I'm some freak who has never felt anything for anyone.”  
“Have you?”  
“I have!” She said, a little louder than she'd intended. “I mean...I like women. I've liked women before. I just haven't fallen in love. What's so wrong about that?”  
“It's not normal.”  
“It's not normal to not love someone. Yeah, thanks for that.” She rolled her eyes.  
Frost discontinued whatever apology Frankie mustered up. “Hey, you ready?”  
She peeked to the audience. She still couldn't find Maura. “Yeah, I'm ready.” She tried to hide her dashing hopes. It wasn't like Maura had said she'd be there. Hell, it wasn't like they'd even had a personal discussion since the gym. But, somehow Jane had anticipated – despaired – Maura would come. She hoped her soundless request had gone heard.  
“Tonight, we have Jane Rizzoli from Precinct A-1!” Korsak's voice prevailed through the speakers and shook the walls of the venue. The curtain draped back and Jane walked at the slowest pace she could gather while her side of the audience cheered her on.  
“And we also have Selma Samis from Precinct E-5!” He continued, pointing to her side. Half of the audience turned their attention to Jane's opponent.  
Jane sat in her corner of the cage. “You're stronger, but she's fast. She's going to try to tire you out, so try to just block punches. Reverse her moves on her.”  
She nodded as she slipped her in her mouth guard.  
“Remember, she knows you're left handed so she's going to be prepared for those left handed punches.” Jane only nodded.  
“You got this, Janie.” Frankie smiled at his sister.  
“Thanks.” She walked into the cage. Frost closed the gate behind her, sealing her in.  
“In the right corner we have Rizzoli weighing in at a hundred and thirty pounds of seemingly straight muscle!” Korsak held up his old partner's arm. He dropped it and moved over to Samis. “In the left corner, we have Samis, weighing in at a hundred and ten pounds! She's not strong but she's fast!”  
Both women faced each other.  
“You know the rules, ladies? No clinching. No kicks to the head. No pulling heads into knees. No direct attacks to knee joints. No elbows. You get knocked down, you lose the round. Got ten seconds to get back up in the last round or you lost. Got it?”  
They both nodded.  
“Okay.” Korsak smiled.  
They tapped their gloves together then receded to their respectful corners. Frost and Frankie gave Jane promotive looks. She looked at her family in the audience and smiled at them. She noticed a certain honey-blonde sitting next to her mother.  
She came. Jane smiled at Maura. The Medical Examiner sent an eager smile back.  
A bell rang, signaling the start of the round. Jane made her way to the center of the ring as she lifted her fists to protect herself. Samis was quick, but as Frost foretold, she was going to try to tire Jane out by letting Jane throw all of the punches. The brunette shifted as Samis moved in circles around her, tapping – but not hitting – her shoulders to get her to strike back. Jane swung with her left, Samis blocked it but left her right open. Jane quickly swung right then left again, getting each side of the other brunette's face. Samis backed away a little to recuperate. Jane smirked.  
“Go Jane!” The brunette heard her mother yelling from the sidelines. She could hear her father agreeing with less than appropriate words of his own. Her brother only yelled as loudly as he could. But, she couldn't hear anything from Maura. She was sure she knew that voice from anywhere by now. Even if it had only been forty hours since they'd met.  
Samis went for a kick into Jane's right side. The brunette caught the kick and immediately sent a front one into her opponent's ribs. The other brunette fell to the floor. She heard the bell ring so she immediately backed off the other woman.  
“Round one goes to Jane Rizzoli!” Korsak yelled over the mic. There was a wave of cheers and boos across the audience as each participant went back to their corners.  
“Good job,” Frost congratulated as he provided her water.  
She removed her mouth guard. “I hope I didn't hit her too bad.”  
“What are you talking about?” Frankie was at his sister's side. “You want to win right?”  
“Yeah but, we both have about only a three day break until we have to go back to work. Do you know how painful it is to sit at a desk all day with broken ribs?”  
He shook his head. “Can't say that I do.”  
“Shit's not comfortable.”  
“Well,” Frost took the water bottle away from her. “let's hope she's as compassionate as you are then.”  
The brunette chuckled as she put her mouth guard back in. Selma Samis wasn't known for being a good person. Never had she been. She was excellent at her job but sometimes Jane – along with a lot of people at the Downtown precinct – marveled if Samis was more bad cop than good cop. When Jane had found out her adversary for tonight's match, she had no doubt in her mind that Samis had something to do with it. It was “random” selection, they'd said. Samis had it out for Jane since the Academy. When Jane was promoted to Homicide, it was no soon later that Samis had been too at her precinct. They'd run into crime scenes together, announcing who the case belonged to. Usually Samis assumed it was hers due to the fact that it was her district. But Operations would call Jane, therefore making the case hers.  
“Round two!” Korsak alleged.  
Jane swallowed as she watched a very pissed Samis descend from her corner. The whole “compassion” thing was out the window. Samis wasn't going to go easy on her and Jane knew it. Her best bet was to just dodge as much kicks and punches as possible.  
The bell sounded.  
Samis swung left, right, left, left, right. Jane ducked and dived and pushed to keep from getting hit. But, somehow the other brunette was just getting started. She swung for Jane's face and abdomen. She kicked at Jane's sides.  
Jane wasn't sure how, but she'd gotten more tired dodging the punches than throwing them. When she thought Samis was going right, she blocked her right. But for some reason she'd walk right into a left punch. Jane was met with an uppercut and a front kick that landed her on her back. She groaned at the sudden onrush of pain in her head, now ruing ever agreeing to be in this match.  
“Selma Samis wins round two!”  
Jane groaned, half dragging herself back to her corner to be met with a filled water bottle and two pairs of sad eyes.  
“Don't look so surprised.” She slipped out her mouth guard. “We all knew it was a matter of time before Samis punched the hell out of me. She's been wanting to do it since the first day at the Academy.”  
“Are you okay?” Frost looked at his partner's bruising eye and intelligibly broken nose.  
“My ribs hurt more than anything.” She felt Frankie pouring water into her hair. How the hell that helped, she didn't know but God if it didn't feel good. “But...I'm good.”  
“By the way,” Frankie whispered into his sister's ear. “Dr. Isles? Freakin' hot.”  
She sent a glare at her brother.  
“I hear she dated Samis.”  
Jane wondered if that was why Maura knew Selma's moves. She tried not to brood on that.  
“But she's sitting on your side instead of Samis'...so maybe she's here for you.” It hadn't crossed her mind that maybe the reason Jane didn't hear Maura cheering for her was because maybe she hadn't been there for her. Maybe the only seat accessible was the one next to Angela. Maybe Maura was actually there for Samis and that was why Samis felt like she had something to prove. Maybe she was fighting to get Maura back? That thought – more than any of the punches she'd taken – had her head swimming.  
“Time to move.” Frost helped her up. Jane slipped her mouth guard back in.  
If Samis thought she had something to prove to Maura and she was going to use Jane as a prime example, she had another thing coming. Jane wasn't going let her ass get handed to her because Samis had gotten dumped for whatever reason.  
As soon as the bell rang, she sent left and right cross punches to Samis, only stopping for a right jab that the other brunette hadn't seen coming. She went for a right side kick, then a turn around right kick. Her opponent swayed but she didn't fall. She fought back, in fact. Poorly, if Jane was honest. It was easy to dodge the wild punches Samis through.  
When Samis swung a wide left, Jane ducked and jabbed the smaller woman in the ribs. When Samis went for a front kick, Jane caught her leg and went for a side kick of her own. She kicked again, and again but the other woman still didn't fall over.  
She punched with her right arm, but Samis blocked it. She punched with her left arm but Samis blocked that as well. Samis wasn't getting stronger, she was still weak but she seemed to expect every move Jane had. But there was one she hadn't done. There was one she wasn't even sure she could do. It was the one that had landed her on the mat by Maura. It unquestionably would have taken the wind out of Samis, and knocked her down for a few seconds but at this rate she would have been able to get back up. No, Jane needed the kick to knock her down for ten seconds.  
Jane swung wide left and like she'd anticipated, Samis tried to move out of the way. Jane kicked at the woman's right side. She swung right and Samis attempted to block it but failed. Jane went for a left uppercut and she knew she had Samis there so she spun around low and kicked Samis' ankles, knocking her opponent down.  
“Samis is down!” She could hear Korsak. The audience was dead silent as Korsak counted down. “Ten,” Samis didn't move. “nine,” still Samis didn't move. “eight, seven, six,” Jane could hear Selma groaning. “five,” she rolled over. “four,” she tried lifting herself up. “three,” she dropped back down. “two...” Korsak prolonged a second longer. “One!” Jane's side of the audience went into delirium, almost deafening her. “Rizzoli has beat Samis!”  
He was in the cage now holding her arm up now. She clutched at her bruised ribs. “It's official, ladies and gentlemen. Downtown beats West Roxbury in the first match of Battle of the Precincts!”  
She smiled weakly, hoping he'd just let her have her arm back. The burning was becoming to much and her vision was starting to blur. She would soon be joining Samis down on the floor.  
“Congratulations.” Korsak hugged her before letting her walk away.  
“Thanks,” her voice was barely audible, even without the thunder of the audience. She dropped her arm down to her side and slacked out of the cage to be met with her family.  
Angela wrapped her arms around her daughter. “I knew you could do it!”  
Frank Sr. snorted. “She had about as much faith in you as Atheists in God.”  
“Deep down I knew!” Angela reasoned, letting go of her daughter. “I'll tell you who did believe in you, though. That Dr. Isles. Even in the second round, she'd known you would win. She wasn't worried at all.”  
“Y-you talked to her?” Jane winced at the pain in her ribs.  
“We chit-chatted for a bit.”  
“Did-did she say anything?” Jane looked around to see if Maura had been waiting to congratulate her. She noticed the honey-blonde leaving, while most Samis' side of the audience left as well.  
“No.” Angela looked at her daughter funnily. “Celebration dinner?”  
“I'm actually feeling like shit, Ma. I think I'm just gonna go home and sleep this off.”  
“You sure?” Frank rubbed his daughter's arm. “We can watch the Celtics and have a few cold ones.”  
“Maura said alcohol thins blood.” She frowned. She received a look from her family. “What?”  
“Since when have you ever listened to what a woman says?” Frank laughed.  
“I listen.” She rolled her eyes. “We had a victim that was drunk when he died. It was just something I remembered, okay?”  
“Uh huh.” Frost patted his partner's back. “Time to go see Dr. Wallace. Get you checked out.”  
“Oh delightful.” She grinned, mockingly.  
“Do you want us to wait?” Angela offered. “Really Jane, I'd like to celebrate. That Samis seemed like she was going to bite your ear off.”  
“Yeah, she did look like the type to go all Mike Tyson on someone.” Frankie concurred.  
“But I'm fine.” Jane smiled. “How about we have dinner for the next match?”  
“Okay.” Angela frowned. “I love you, baby.”  
“Love you too, Ma.”  
“Let's go, Evander.” Frost guided his partner to the locker rooms.

* * *

Jane winced for the third time while trying to put her shirt back on. Her ribs burned and ached, in a pain that was acquainted and yet foreign at the same time. She'd had broken ribs before, but these weren't broken. Just severely bruised. She dropped her shirt onto the bench between the two columns of lockers. She sighed heavily, frustrated with her inability to even put on a shirt now.  
“You know, Detective,” Maura surprised Jane. The brunette's eyes snapped to her. “you're supposed to actually wear the shirt.”  
Jane would have pretended to laugh but even that still hurt. So she only made a face. “Thanks for the advice, Doc. I wondered if I was doing this all wrong.”  
Maura smiled. “Would you like some help?”  
She wanted to say no but somehow she found herself nodding. Maura picked the shirt up and carefully helped Jane escort her head through it.  
“Did Dr. Wallace bandage your ribs?”  
“Was he supposed to?” Jane gave her a mazed look.  
Maura clenched her jaw concisely. “That imbecile.”  
“He works at West Roxbury, doesn't he?”  
“Yes.”  
“Well they did lose tonight.” The brunette shrugged, then suddenly regretted the movement. “It's fine, though. I'm just thinking about going home to sleep anyway.”  
“Sleep certainly does increase recovery.” Maura helped Jane's arms through the sleeves. “Smart judgment, Detective.”  
“Thanks?” it actually had nothing to do with improvement, she just wanted to get back to her bed as soon as possible so she could suffer in silence.  
Maura buttoned the brunette's shirt up. She kept her eyes on her fingers. “Your mother told me she would invite you to a victory dinner.”  
“Yeah, I decided not to.” Jane licked her lips as she watched Maura. “Gotta get healing and all that.”  
“You should eat as well.”  
“I'm not hungry.”  
Maura reached the top button and she didn't know what to with her hands now. “Your nose is broken.” She carefully touched the Detective's face. “Dr. Wallace would have let it heal in this position.”  
“What's wrong with it?”  
“The alignment. It's off.” Maura looked into Jane's eyes. “Someone will need to reposition it back.”  
“You do it.”  
“You hardly know me.”  
“I'm not really close with any doctors,” she shrugged. “just do it. I trust you.”  
Maura thought for a moment. “Okay. I supposed it's the least I owe. I may have made it easier for it to break with our little dual the other day.”  
“Exactly,” Jane dropped her arms. “This is all your fault.” She laughed, hoping Maura had caught the joke. She'd heard the woman didn't have a sense of humor but she seemed to make Maura smile. Maybe not laugh but definitely smile.  
“This is going to hurt.”  
“It always does.”

Maura had offered to carry Jane's duffle. She'd said the brunette would have a lot of recuperating to do and she wanted to help as much as possible.  
“You should eat.” She furthered. “Your mother might still be here.”  
“I'm just not in the mood for my entire family tonight,” Jane sighed. “When they're all together, they get exhausting. I'll just order out.”  
“Order out?” Maura sounded as if she'd been offended. “Oh, no. You will not be ordering out. I'll take you to dinner.”  
“You will?”  
“I will.” The Medical Examiner smiled, dauntlessly. “I know this fantastic restaurant. I think you'll love it.”  
“Will I?” Jane seemed ambivalent. “but...what about the sleeping I had planned?”  
“Don't worry, we'll have a quick meal and I'll take you home.”


End file.
